The JBS Tolleson ground beef Salmonella Newport outbreak has ended, with at least 403 people sick in 30 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). One hundred seventeen people were hospitalized because they were so sick; there were no deaths reported.
Officials are warning consumers that, even though the official outbreak is over, this recalled ground beef could still be in home freezers. The ground beef was packaged under many different brand names and sold from July 26, 2018 to September 7, 2018. Almost seven million pounds of ground beef was recalled on October 4, 2018, and an additional 5.2 million pounds of beef products were recalled on December 4, 2018.
Check your freezer to see if you have any of these products on hand. Recalled products besides plain ground beef include beef patties, ground round loaf, and ground beef chubs. Brand names include Grass Run Farms, Showcase, Cedar River Farms, and Kroger, among others.
The package will have the establishment number “EST. 267” which is usually stamped inside the USDA mark of inspection, but could be elsewhere on the package. USDA-FSIS also has a list of stores and states where the recalled beef may have been sold.
Attorney Fred Pritzker can be reached for help at 1-888-377-8900 or 612-338-0202.
Food safety lawyer Fred Pritzker, who has represented many clients sickened with Salmonella infections, said, “It’s important that consumers don’t try to cook with this ground beef; discard it as directed. Cross-contamination can be a factor in food poisoning outbreaks.”
The patient case count by state is: Arizona (54), California (143), Colorado (60), Connecticut (1), Hawaii (5), Idaho (3), Iowa (2), Illinois (1), Indiana (1), Kansas (1), Kentucky (1), Louisiana (5), Michigan (1), Massachusetts (1), Minnesota (2), Mississippi (2), Missouri (3), Montana (10), New Mexico (23), New York (1), Nevada (14), Ohio (9), Oklahoma (10), Oregon (1), South Dakota (10), Texas (19), Utah (11), Washington (3), West Virginia (1), Wyoming (5). Illnesses started on dates ranging from August 5, 2018 to February 8, 2019. Thirty-four percent of patients were hospitalized, which is a high number for a Salmonella outbreak.
Officials in Arizona and Nevada collected opened and unopened packages of ground beef from patients’ homes, as well as from retail locations. The outbreak strain of Salmonella Newport was founding the ground beef. Whole genome sequencing found that the Salmonella in the ground beef was closely related genetically to the Salmonella in samples taken from patients. USDA traced the source of the ground beef to JBS Tolleson, Inc.
If you have eaten these recalled ground beef products and have been ill with the symptoms of a Salmonella infection, which include fever, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, see your doctor.
